February 28, 2009

I got some beautiful early blooming tulips from my mom this year. Naturally, their blossoms died and the stalks turned dry and brown, and it was time to take the bulbs out to store them. Of course, some people prefer to leave the bulbs in the soil, but I prefer taking them out, wrapping them in paper and storing them in a cool room until it's time for them to be planted again. So I took them out and I am going to leave them out for a couple more days to dry and then proceed to put them away for the summer.

I also have 4 Hyacinths, but their stalks and leaves are still bright green, so it will be some time before I can take the bulbs out.

Tomorrow will be a busy day - I need to trim the stalks of 15 pots of Pelargonium zonale to give them a fresh start for the season. Friends and family have already called dibs on the cut-outs, but I plan to keep some for myself too. These plants are so beautiful that I want to have more of them. And, they are dear to me - my grandmother, who died 12 years ago, started them and looked after them for years, so essentially, those plants are 32 years old!

Along with that, I need to find time to make more Martenitsi! Oh dear!

February 27, 2009

In Bulgaria, 1st of March is a holiday. We give each other little bracelets or brooches weaved from red and white thread, called Martenitsi. This is the most unique Bulgarian tradition and represents health, fertility and spring. The story and the legend are quite interesting, though really different. A more contemporary information is found on Wikipedia.

Naturally, this presents a great opportunity for those who like to create things! I decided to give out hand-made Martenitsi to my family and friends this year, so I spent a few hours working on my first set, like the ones above. The good news is that I am going to look for a camera tomorrow, so I may be able to post a step-by-step tutorial on making these little guys.

I'm also adding a "My Projects" tab to keep track of them. Oh my, looking at the list I have compiled, I'll be slaving away tomorrow and the day after!

February 25, 2009

Back when I was a kid my grandma and I would sit around the garden for hours on end knitting - she used to make the greatest socks in the world, and I'd make dresses for my dolls. Because I was little she always used to cast my stitches on and I'd begin knitting (what I found out today is called the knit stitch).

So to my surprise I actually remembered how to do the knit stitch - so far so good. Thanks to the awesome tutorials at KnittingHelp I was able to successfully do the long-tail cast-on and knit a couple of experimental rows!

I am thinking of maybe trying to knit something I can use (something easy, of course) and hopefully get the hang of it. And maybe soon enough I will jump to the next level.

February 24, 2009

After I spent a few hours working on the general overview of the blog, the thing looks like something. I added some more additional information, made a banner, changed layout and colors, added some links and a picture (omg!). Unfortunately, more original photos will be available only after I get my hands on a new camera.

On the plus side, while I was rummaging through my old pictures I found one I took in Paris at the end of October 2008. It amazed me the flower was still blooming (along with the hundreds more in the garden) - imagine the kind of care they had!

I planted my lavender seeds directly in the soil, but I read there was a different way to make them grow - through stratification.

Stratification helps seeds "think" that winter is gone and it's now spring - time to grow! For this methodseeds require to be soaked in water and put in the fridge for few days to several weeks, depending on the seeds.

It's been almost 3 weeks since I planted mine and I see a couple of sprouts, but I'm not certain that's the actual plant or some random weeds, so I'll wait and see... If nothing happens, I'll try through stratification and see what I get.

I planted rosemary, lavender, mint, basil, 3 kinds of petunias (grandiflora, hybrida, cascade), and portulaca grandiflora... most of them have already turned into seedlings, yet there is fresh snow on the ground outside.

I planted them in the beginning of February, couldn't wait any longer! Yet, most of them should be planted sometime in March, so I am a month or so early and I am hoping I can keep them growing inside in separate pots until it's time to plant them permanently and move them to the balcony.

I have an idea I have been swirling around regarding the lavender, but more on that later!

This blog is mostly dedicated to my home gardening experience and the newly discovered passion of mine for making things and decorating, and since I am still new at this whole blogging fiasco, I'll be taking my sweet time to start this up =).

Additionally, our camera is toast, so unfortunately I will not be posting any pictures until I get a new one.